The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-13

accidents. The burned bridge was about two
miles and half east OF Chatsworth. AT this
point the inquest was adjourned until to-day.
At the morning session OF tho jury some de-
cidediy significant testimony was given Tino-
thy Coughlin, the section foreman here.
ae h .na' on ri. ne had four men s
He received orders Wednesday to go
over his section and that the bridges aud
track were all right. Coughlin went to the east
end of his section, and burned the grass along
the track for half mile He burned piece
little over half n mile from the wreck, and put
the fire out. He examined the bridge about 5
o'clock ard found smoke about it. and other
wise it was all right About three weeks ago
the grass under the bridge had been cut away
for ten feet from the bridge timbers, and he
had no idea how the bridge could have csughf
fire.
Christopher Ennis. roadmaster for the line
from tho State line to Peoria said he went over
the road, Wednesday, from Fairbury to Gilman.
He went over the fatal bridge just before
o'clock in the afternoon He on the rear
end of the car. and saw that the bridge all
right. There fire smoke about the
bridge. Ennis said: my opinion is that the
bridge set on fre by somebody. My train
was the last train over before tho special. and
il there fire there the men would have dis
covered it. The bridge could have been burned
in two or three hours. About three years ago
two attempts were made to ditch the 10 o'clock
passenger train at that bridge. and We kept
watchman there for six weeks Obstrucsions
were piled on the track. Il is very lonesome
place, far from any house.
Roadmaster Ennis who went over the trestle
on hand-car later in the evening, swore that 1t
was sound and strong.
Then William Hellam, well-to-do farmer
living in the neighborhood called to the
stand, and told story that created sensation.
He said that while standing on the platform at
Chatsworth, waiting with his son for the ill
fated train, he repeatedly q peculiar light
upon the track about in the neighborhood of
whore the train subsequently, went down. At
first he thought it was a fire. but from it's dis
appearance and reappearapce at intervals dur
ing period of three hours, he came to the con-
clusion that somebody was swinging big lantern
or that a locomotive was moving TO and fro
This was was kept up until a little while before
the hour the train was due at Chatsworth. aud
seemed to him remarkable that he called the
attention of several people around him to the
fact Hellams statement was corroborated by
his son, who with his father cot board the
train and barely escaped with their lives and by
Jullus hopleke, a farmer living within quarter
of mile of the track. and who saw what seemed
to be a small fire near the culvert shortly before
midnight. Testimony pointing in the same
direction was given by several other Witnesses
before the inquiry was adjourned.
Those who hold the theory of train wrecking be-
Heve that there was an organized gang of thieves
on board the train, and that the bridge was
destroyed by confederates the result of we'll
laid plot. In support of this theory. numerous
stories of the robbing of the dead and injured
are being passed from mouth to mouth, but the
mouths of the dead are closed. and the injured
who cited cannot be found. either here OF at
Piper City. Developments in this conre ection,
however. promised before the end of the
present investigation, and it would not be
prisipg If the jury, in its verdict should fix the
responsibility for the disaster upon some person
persons unknown, and leave the railroad
company the county free to their own
discretion in following up the matter to an
end
1t was nearly IL o'clock to- night when the
jury at Chatsworth adjourned until tomorrow
morning. j. q. Brown aud Thomas J. Brown,
bankers at Chatsworth. corroborated the testi-
mony of previous witnesses regarding the
peculiar light the bridge short
lv before the accident Tobinski and
kobaske. two section hands, swore that they
burned all the weeds and grass Bear the bridge
on Friday of last week: that the afternoon
of the accident they doing the work
forty rods from the bridge that they passed
over the culvert. and that there nothing
burning or anything there to burn
Michael kobaske, another section hand, was
next called. just AS he was about to be sworn the
other Kobaske whispered into his several
words in Polish. The result that the wit
ness showed a remarkable faculty for testifyng
to the same story told by his namesake,
while his memory showed considerable
weakness when questioned to the
possibility of there having been any fire al
the bridge without his seeing it. On cross-ex-
animation he admitted that all three were in a
car near the bridge the fatal night. 1t was
evident from the demeanor of the jurymen that
the evidence of the three Poianders was any
thing but satisfactory. The inquiry will be re-
sumed at o'clock to morrow morning.